


In Human Skin

by ivoryandhorn



Category: D. Gray-man, Naruto
Genre: 5000-10000 Words, Best Friends, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-02
Updated: 2010-10-02
Packaged: 2017-10-12 08:52:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/123109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivoryandhorn/pseuds/ivoryandhorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eight years ago, the Uchiha clan was the lone surviving outpost of the Black Order in Millenium Earl-controlled Japan. Eight years ago, that changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Human Skin

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for [**bitter_nakano**](http://bitter_nakano.livejournal.com)'s Summer Exchange 2010.
> 
> This is a slightly edited version of the fic I submitted, which is to say I read it and realized I'd left like fifty million errors in. I apologize **hiza_chan** , if you ever see this post. :|a
> 
> In any case, the only real regret I have about this fic is that I have no art of (adult) Itachi in full Exorcist gear. Because he would SO HOT in one of those long coats. Like Kanda's, but buttoned up, with gloves. HELL YEAH.

It was mid-summer when Itachi made his way to the east gate in order to see Shisui off on a mission with the clan's special task force. A group of akuma had been encroaching on Uchiha territory, one of the few pockets of human resistance against the Millenium Earl and his forces. As the sole remaining Exorcist still operating in Japan, Itachi should by right have been accompanying these men on their task, but in this particular instance he was forced to remain behind due to injury.

Shisui was listening to another member of the task force intently when Itachi approached, but the moment he spotted Itachi the business-like look on his face fell away in favor of a broad grin. "Hey, you," he said, slinging an arm around Itachi's shoulders. "How's the arm?"

"It's healing well," Itachi replied, lifting his broken arm slightly in its sling. "I expect I'll be ready to return to missions within the next week or so."

"Awesome, maybe that'll be enough time for us non-Exorcists to snag a bit of the glory for ourselves," Shisui laughed, giving him a little shake. "Can't let you have it all, golden boy."

Itachi half-stumbled into the touch, but once he'd made sure his injured arm wasn't suffering for it he settled into it gratefully. "I realize your pride is smarting, but please try to pay at least _some_ attention to your own safety."

"Yeah, yeah," Shisui said fondly. Their heads knocked gently as Shisui draped himself more fully over Itachi. "Don't worry, I'm coming back limbs intact. How else am I going to rub your face in my awesomeness?"

"I really don't know," Itachi said after a moment of mock-serious thought. "It's difficult to rub someone's face in something that doesn't exist, after all."

Shisui winced just as the captain called for the task force to fall into line. _"Ouch._ Now you've given me twice as much reason to kick all the akuma ass I can get my hands on."

Itachi made to disentangle himself from Shisui's arms. "I meant it, though," he said, lowering his voice. "Please be careful out there."

"I heard you. Try not to cry when they return singing my praises, okay? And watch that arm of yours." Shisui leaned in to give him a quick one-armed hug, before bounding off after the rest of the task force. After a few moments Shisui wheeled around to face him, walking backwards as he waved wildly in parting. Itachi raised his good arm to wave back, standing vigil until Shisui and his unit had vanished completely into the distance.  
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Two weeks later, Shisui staggered back alone, the task force's sole survivor. The village, needless to say, was a lost cause; clan members sent out later for reconnaissance reported that it was now nothing more than ruins littered with the remains of its inhabitants, the air a miasma of poison over their crumbled bodies._______

Shisui was hospitalized immediately for shock. His injuries were surprisingly minimal, but he was twitchy and restless, spooking easily. Itachi had been away on a mission elsewhere at the time; by the time he returned, Shisui had discharged himself from the hospital. Itachi visited him as soon he had learned what had occurred, and found his best friend a nervous and shifty-eyed shadow of himself, not bothering to invite him in or even open his front door more than a few inches. They had talked briefly through the slit between Shisui's front door and its frame, and after a few moments Itachi had had enough of the awkward atmosphere and politely excused himself.

Later, Itachi would think of the moment he had stood outside Shisui's door feeling the crushing weight of guilt and responsibility for Shisui's condition, and he would think: _That was when it began._  
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The sun was just setting when Itachi emerged from the clan's headquarters three months later, the dying light angled just so as to hit his aching eyes. The mission he had just finished had been an exhausting one, his body still adjusted to the demands of his Innocence's increased levels of synchronization. Having to maintain full decorum as he made his report to his father after the mission had only exacerbated his fatigue. Itachi stumbled briefly as he headed down the road, automatically stepping sideways so as to stay out of the way of anyone out on the street. _Just a minute,_ he thought, tucked under the cool shade of a nearby building's eaves. It was late enough for the temperature to begin dropping; the chill autumn wind felt good on his face and Itachi paused to luxuriate in the sensation, even if only for a moment. _______

He startled out of the moment when someone bumped into him and uttered a distracted, "'Scuse me—"

Itachi half-turned in surprise at the familiar voice, eyes snapping open. "Shisui?"

"Whoa." Shisui took a half step back, face slack with surprise. Then he squinted and after a hesitant moment said, "…Itachi?"

"Yes." Itachi straightened his back and turned fully to face Shisui, studying his familiar face. He looked terrible, worn and tired and a hundred other things that made guilt surge again in Itachi's chest. He should have been on that mission, if he had been there… After a moment, he noticed that Shisui was staring at him back, gaze fixed just past his face, and Itachi found himself bursting to break the silence. "…I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, been busy." Shisui fidgeted with the edge of his shirt, scratching anxiously at the nape of his neck. "It's been…really busy."

"Everyone's been busy," Itachi said after a moment, willing accusation to stay out of his voice. It was selfish, to want everything to be the same when that mission had so obviously changed Shisui, but they were supposed to be _friends_. How could he help Shisui if Shisui refused to see him?

"Sorry 'bout that," Shisui mumbled, staring at his feet. They stirred up dust as he shifted from foot to foot.

Itachi glanced up at the sky—the sun had just about finished setting. His mother was waiting at home with the evening meal already laid out, and Sasuke would want to see him, but… "Do you want to get dinner?"

Shisui reared back as if Itachi had raised a hand to strike him. "Um, uh," he said. "I dunno, I'm kind of busy, and I bet _you're_ busy, and—"

"Brother! There you are!" Sasuke ran up to them eagerly, throwing his arms around Itachi in gleeful greeting. Shisui looked almost relieved at the interruption and Itachi felt a surge of meaningless hurt at the sight. He wrenched his gaze away to look down at his brother.

"What are you doing out, Sasuke?" he asked, patting him on the back. "The wards are about to go up."

"I know that!" Sasuke said, stepping back. His chest puffed up in a display of childish pride. "But Mother asked me to find out if Father was coming back for dinner and then I found you!"

Itachi glanced up at Shisui, who was staring at his feet, whistling absently. "…No," he said reluctantly. "Father is still busy. He asked me to tell Mother."

"Are you going to eat with us?" Sasuke asked, wide-eyed and hopeful.

"Ah…" Itachi glanced up at Shisui hesitantly, then said. "Yes. Shisui, would you like to—"

"I'd better be going," Shisui said abruptly, turning out onto the road. Almost like an afterthought, he waved at Itachi over his shoulder. "Maybe some other time, huh?" he called, just before he was swallowed by the crowd.

"Brother?" Sasuke said anxiously, tugging on his sleeve. "Are you coming?"

"Yes, yes," Itachi said. He slowly pulled his gaze away from where Shisui had gone and gently disentangling himself from Sasuke's grip. "Let's head back."

Halfway back to their home, the wards went up around the compound—line after line of paper talismans rising in a slow, stately dance to form a rigid square around the compound. Scarcely as the first layer settled when a second went up around it. Both layers flared briefly, the inner one maintaining the steady glow of protective warding while the outer was barely visible behind it, serving the shield the first from visible sight. A knot worked itself loose in Itachi's shoulders as he watched. As long as the shield was up, the compound would be safe.

"That's so cool," Sasuke said, eyes shining as he watched as well. He had tucked his hand into Itachi's, despite being far too old to need walking anywhere, but Itachi hadn't said a word, simply folded his fingers around his brother's. "When I grow up, I want to make shields like that."

Itachi smiled despite himself. Though he still worried about Shisui, it was hard to remain in dark thoughts when his brother was nearby. "I thought you wanted to synchronize with the Sharingan."

"Well, that too." Sasuke pouted. "Can't I do both?"

"It's too hard to train yourself for both," Itachi explained. "If you tried to master both, you wouldn't be good enough at either of them."

"That's stupid," Sasuke said, swinging their joined hands. His brow furrowed in childish defiance. "I bet you could do both if you wanted to!"

"Ah…just the Sharingan is enough for me."

"But you could?" Sasuke asked persistently, peering up at him. "If you wanted to? I bet you could!"

"But if I do it, you won't be the first," Itachi said teasingly.

"That's okay!" Sasuke beamed up at him. "I can be second as long as you're the first. But only if it's you!"

Itachi paused for a long moment, then knelt to hug Sasuke tight. "As long as Sasuke's happy, I'm happy too," he said, just as their mother opened the door.

"Ah, you're home! Itachi, Sasuke, dinner!"

"Yeaaaaah, dinner! I'm hungry!" Sasuke ran on ahead up the path leading to their home. "C'mon, Mother's waiting!"

"Yes, yes, I'm coming." Itachi let Sasuke go and straightened to follow. However, some instinct made him pause and glance down the street. He could just barely make out the silhouette of a man standing there, a familiar one. Squinting, Itachi automatically tried to get a better look so as to be sure—but whoever it was vanished before he had taken more than half a step.

"Itachi!" his mother called. "Are you coming in?"

"Yes," he called back, pulling his gaze away from where he had seen the silhouette. Could it have been—but why would Shisui have run away from him?  
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After dinner, Itachi begged fatigue and went to bed early. It wasn't a false statement, though it wasn't a true statement either. Lying in the cool dark of his bedroom, he knew it would be hours before he fell asleep. Shisui had changed after that mission three months ago, of that he was sure. He was the only survivor of two full platoons consisting of twenty well-trained men and women each. The village had been left completely devastated, ravaged by akuma and cluttered by the corpses of those infected by the akuma's virus. After such a disaster, it was natural not to expect someone to recover instantly, wasn't it? Shisui simply needed time to heal from the brutality of his failure, and surely the best thing Itachi could do as his friend was simply wait, and understand. And yet—and yet…_______

A soft rapping sound broke through his reverie. Itachi slid out of bed, careful, ready to activate his eyes—but it was just Shisui, straightening briefly to wave him over to the window's edge. Itachi came over, pushing the window open carefully to prevent it from squeaking. By the placement of the moon and the arrangement of the talismans overhead, Itachi could see that it had been several hours since he'd taken himself to bed. Leaning out to peer along the walls of his house only confirmed this—most of them were dark and silent, even his father's study. Either his father had already gone to bed himself, or he was still at the headquarters.

"Hey, hey," Shisui hissed beneath him. "Down here."

Itachi pulled back so just the tip of his head peered over the edge of his window. Shisui was crouched low, to avoid being spotted over the fence surrounding Itachi's home.

"What are you doing out here?" Itachi hissed back. The autumn wind bit through his thin sleeping clothes, and he shivered.

"Well, uh, I wanted to make up for earlier," Shisui whispered back. He shifted, rising briefly only to resettle on the ground. "For…you know. Leaving. Not eating with you. Stuff."

"Ah." Itachi stared down at Shisui, whose gaze was fixed somewhere off in the night sky. "Shisui…"

There was a brief lag before he jumped and peered up into Itachi's face, the closest he'd come to eye contact since Itachi had answered his call. "Yeah?"

Itachi opened his mouth to continue, but hesitated. "You know…that I would listen, if you ever wanted to talk to me," he said eventually. "About anything."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Actually—" Shisui shifted position again, so that he was kneeling directly under Itachi's window, faces tilted towards each other, though Shisui's gaze was still somehow fixed on a point over Itachi's shoulder. "That was what I came to talk about! Yeah. Talking. I…want to talk to you."

 _You could have done that earlier,_ Itachi almost said, but bit back the words. Better to accept Shisui's willingness as the gift it was. "Now? Here?"

"Nah, not here. Might be heard. Don't want people hearing private stuff. Friend stuff. Right?"

"You could come in," Itachi suggested, glancing side to side to make sure there were no witnesses. The only lights were the street lamps, paper lanterns burning low as they rocked in the wind.

Shisui opened his mouth to reply, then froze for a moment, as if listening to someone Itachi couldn't see. After a moment, he shook his head. "Nah, nah—what if someone hears? Could be tricky. 'Sides, what about the river?"

"The river? Now?" Itachi frowned inwardly. "It's too late. The wards—"

"But it's been so long," Shisui wheedled. "I mean. That place is special. Isn't it?"

Itachi pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Yes, but—" _it's not like you to be so irresponsible_. Or rather, it had been, before that mission. Before Shisui had changed. But perhaps this was a signal that he was changing back, that Itachi could finally do something to help and make up for being absent three months ago. "—I'm tired tonight. What about tomorrow? I'll meet you at the north gate at two in the afternoon."

Shisui brightened up immediately. "Really? The afternoon? In the daytime? Awesome. Cool. I'll see you then." He bounded to his feet and scrambled up and over the fence before Itachi could so much as wish him good night.   
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Sasuke smiled at him the next morning at breakfast and waved excitedly before heading off to the compound school. Itachi passed the hours between waking up and his meeting with Shisui restlessly, moving from reading to calligraphy practice to solo training and back to books again._______

He arrived at the north gate on the hour, and was surprised to find that Shisui was waiting for him—tucked against the side of the gate, watching the few Uchiha who had business outside of the compound passing back and forth beneath its fluttering banners, each one painted with the Uchiha clan's paper fan symbol. Itachi had to tap him on the shoulder before he was noticed, when Shisui would—should—ordinarily have been watching for him to arrive. As it was, Shisui jumped the moment Itachi made contact and looked around wildly, like a hunted creature, before his gaze finally settled on Itachi.

"It's just you!" he said with relief, scratching at the back of his neck. "Haha."

"I hope you haven't been waiting long," Itachi said, for lack of anything else.

"Oh, no," Shisui waved a hand. "Just got here and stuff. You know."

"Alright." Itachi hesitated, then headed for the gate. "You wanted to go the river?"

"Yep, yeah, definitely," Shisui nodded, grinning hugely. Now that Itachi saw him in good light, in what felt like the first time for a long time, he looked even worse than he had the day before. But he acted cheerful enough, fidgeting restlessly with his clothes as they passed by the guards.

"Exorcist," one of them said respectfully, as Itachi passed him by. Itachi nodded in response, and glanced back at Shisui to find him scowling.

"Shisui?" he asked. "Is anything—"

"Huh? Oh! Nothing. Nothing at all." After a moment, Shisui clapped him on the shoulder, the motion awkward as if he was copying something he'd once seen someone else do. "Nothing at all's the matter."

Itachi nodded in acknowledgement, if not agreement, and they spent the rest of the walk in silence. The Nakano River twisted throughout most of the countryside around the Uchiha compound, but the place where it curved closest was just northeast of the compound in a relatively secluded clearing when he and Shisui had often spent time playing and then training in th epast. It was a good sign that Shisui wanted to go back, wasn't it?

Together they pushed off the road, through the wind-ruffled grass. As they approached the river, Itachi felt himself relax minutely at the familiar sound of it rushing along its bed. It was just enough to drown out the faint and distant noise of the bustling compound if he didn't strain to hear it.

"So," Shisui said, as they settled near the river. He stayed standing, rocking back and forth on his feet, so Itachi stayed standing as well. "This is the river. It's isolated, isn't it? Far away."

"Yes," Itachi said cautiously. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah…well…" Shisui's head dropped abruptly, his entire body going still. "About that…"

Itachi almost went forward to him, but some instinct made him stay back. "Shisui?"

"You should be less trusting, Exorcist," Shisui sing-songed. When he raised his head, his mouth full of row after row of fangs, eyes burned black as char and his fingers distended into thick, cruel claws. "The Earl has agents eve~ ry~ where~"

Itachi felt his hands clench in anger, his Innocence automatically activating in his eyes. "So there were no survivors of that mission after all."

"Did you really think regular humans had a chance against us?" it shrugged. Bones moved unnaturally as Shisui's body distorted further, skin discoloring and his hair slicking back into some kind of metallic crest. "Stu~pid."

There was still just enough resemblance that Itachi felt his anger crystallize into a cold burn. That Shisui's soul should pay the price for another's weakness, that Shisui's body should be exploited for the Earl's dark purpose, his skin worn and defiled and _used_.

"Now Exorcist," the akuma said, spreading its arms, "it's time for you to die~ All alone and helpless, oh my~" Scarcely had it finished speaking when the akuma charged. Itachi charged to meet him, his Innocence easily speeding his movements enough to match the akuma's. The akuma swiped at his head as they met, but Itachi dodged the blow, twisting around to kick at the akuma's back as it sailed past. At the second of contact flames sprang up around his foot, sending the akuma flying across the clearing as Itachi landed neatly in a ready position.

The akuma clambered upright, neck turning impossible angles to check over its shoulder. "Uwaa~" it said. "And it's your best friend's body, too. Heartless, heartless~"

"You gravely underestimate me," Itachi said coldly, "if you think wearing Shisui's skin will save you."

"Ah? Well, we'll just see about that," the akuma grinned, raising its claws.  
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The akuma wasn't high enough level to stand against Itachi for long. Itachi landed the final blow without even having to resort to his Innocence's more advanced abilities, his fist coated with the flames of his Innocence as it slammed into the akuma's twisted face one final time. The akuma's body cracked like porcelain in the blow's wake, its body starting to crumble by degrees._______

"But you haven't yet won the war," it gasped, still grinning even as its skin sloughed off in chunks. A bright white light emerged from the shell of its broken body. Itachi automatically shielded his eyes from the sight, but just as hurriedly he dragged his hand away when he realized what the light had to be. Peering into the center of the light, he thought he saw the outline of a face.

"Hey, hey," Shisui's soul beamed down at him as it drifted away, the vague impression of flyaway curls on top of his familiar face. Itachi thought he might be smiling. "Thanks. Don't let me see you again too soon, okay, golden boy?"

And then it was gone.

All of a sudden, the weight of the fight pressed down on Itachi; not just the fight, but the magnitude of what it meant—that Shisui had been dead for three months, skin torn off to hide an akuma, his soul suffering quietly. He pressed the heels of his hands into his aching eyes, feeling his Innocence slowly deactivate. The wind picked up around him, numbing the ache in his limbs and the few injuries he'd sustained destroying the akuma who'd grown out of Shisui's soul. Three months, twelve weeks, ninety days, and what was the Sharingan good for if he couldn't use his Innocence to save those he cared for?

His head jerked up as a loud crash sounded in the distance. Itachi turned abruptly towards the source of it and found himself facing the direction the compound lay in. What had the akuma said? _But you haven't won the war…_

His Sharingan had re-activated before the thought had even finished. Itachi was already dashing back towards the compound, cutting through the wild countryside, pushing the limits of his Innocence-enhanced speed. His heart pounded as another implication of Shisui's death became clear to him: if _one_ akuma could have infiltrated the compound, then—

The alarm sounded just as he bounded over the compound wall, landing on a nearby rooftop. It was chaos inside, some people running towards the akuma who had erupted from their kinsmen, some running towards any kind of safety that could be found.

Itachi pushed back his panic, feeling his mind settle into the calm focus he wrapped himself in for every mission. His first priority had to be killing akuma. He could worry about the infiltration later. He leapt down from the roof, preparing to head down the street to the nearest, but was abruptly stopped by someone snatching at him as he sped past. Arching his neck back frantically, he saw someone had grabbed hold of his arm. "Uncle Inabi, please—"

For a moment, his uncle didn't respond. Then his face drooped into a horrible parody of itself, skin like melting wax. "I see that idiot Shunshin failed to do his job, Exorci—"

Itachi slammed his fist into the akuma's face, fist already glowing with the Sharingan's power. There was an outraged cry from behind him, but the thing in Inabi's skin was already rising, hands clutching its face. "Temper, temper," it said chidingly, form already shifting. The outcry around them turned into screams as it became clear that Inabi was another of the akuma.

Rather than reply, Itachi fisted one hand in Inabi's shirt. Around the other, he powered up the flames of his Innocence and chopped straight through the top of the still-emerging akuma's head. The thing that had taken over Inabi's body screamed as the flames tore through its dark matter body, tearing it apart from the inside.

Itachi waited until he was sure the akuma had been destroyed before he looked up at the few who had stayed to watch. "Excuse me," he said with a polite nod, and headed towards the other akuma.

The fighters of the clan were already at work holding them at bay with talismans and shields. Itachi leapt up onto the rooftops to better angle himself at the akuma already tearing through the compound buildings. He pushed off the nearest as he approached, soaring easily before landing a neat kick into the akuma's face, activating his Innocence's flames in the split-second before contact. The monster screamed in pain as Itachi landed in a neat crouch before it.

"Exorcist!" the nearest specialist said with relief. Itachi nodded in brief acknowledgement before launching himself back into battle, tearing through the akuma with ruthless efficiency before dashing off towards the next one.

After the fourth, he found himself two streets from his home. He hesitated—the specialists who had been keeping the last akuma in check were already on their way to the next—but with the Innocence he was faster, and if he could just be sure that Sasuke was safe… With only a brief twinge of guilt, Itachi darted down the streets until he saw his home. The guards rose as soon as he appeared, and Itachi tensed in case any were akuma who might choose to shed their skin at his appearance. But none did, settling their weapons as soon as they saw it was him.

"Exorcist?" one of the them asked nervously. "What's happening? How did the akuma—"

"My brother," Itachi cut in. "Where is he?"

The guard blinked at him in surprise, before pointing into the house. Itachi nodded and hurried in, tearing through the rooms until he found Sasuke hidden in one of the unused guest rooms, which had been liberally papered over with talismans. He was curled up by the bed, knees tucked against his chest, but the moment Itachi appeared he scrambled to his feet. "Brother—!"

"Sasuke, no," Itachi said, stepping back even as relief flooded every crevice of his body. "Stay there. The talismans will keep you safe. Don't leave for anything, not until I return. Not even for Mother and Father. Do you understand? No one."

Sasuke stopped short, looking at him uncertainly. Then he nodded and retreated a few steps. "I understand," he said determinedly. "You're going to go fight the akuma, right?"

"Yes, and I'll be back as soon as it's safe," Itachi nodded. "So be good, alright, Sasuke? I won't let the akuma get you."

Sasuke scowled. "I know that!" he said, sitting back down. "Hurry up and beat them, brother! You can do it!"

"I'll be back as soon as it's safe," Itachi repeated, and left. He spared barely half a glance for the guards as he headed back out into the fray.   
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As always in battle, time passed fast. By the time Itachi had finished the last akuma, his entire body ached, not simply his eyes. He returned home to find his mother sitting worriedly outside of the talisman barrier around the room Sasuke had been hidden in._______

"It's alright, Sasuke. Don't you want to greet your brother when he gets back?" she was saying as Itachi approached. "Why don't you come ou—ah, Itachi!"

"I'm fine, Mother," he said, stopping outside Sasuke's room. He studied his brother minutely, searching for any sign that he'd been taken over by an akuma. "Are you okay, Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded anxiously. "Yeah, I'm fine! Can I come out now?"

Itachi hesitated, glancing briefly at his mother. Still, this close, he could more than easily protect Sasuke. "Yes," he said at last. Sasuke ran out of his room, brushing past the floating papers across his doorway. They fluttered down the floor, along with those that had previously been attached to the walls.

"You two…" their mother sighed, shaking her head. "But I'm so glad you're both safe." She wrapped her arms around them both. "So glad."  
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The next day, Itachi joined what remained of the clan's most high-ranking members in the headquarters. His father was busy running through a list of casualties. "I don't know how the Earl managed it, but he managed to fill the clan with at _least_ twenty akuma," his father was saying, face dejected and worn. He tossed the papers down. "Twenty!"_______

"That we know of," Itachi interjected quietly. The gaze of everyone in the room snapped towards him, silence abrupt as a thrown knife. He met them all steadily, still tired from the day before and from instincts that refused to settle. After a long moment of taut silence, Itachi disentangled himself from their eyes, rising out of seiza and bowing briefly before leaving, wondering how many of the men there had had pentacles hidden beneath their skins.  
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That night he stayed close to Sasuke, unwilling to let anyone else close for fear that the same thing would happen to him that had happened to Shisui. His communication golem fluttered agitatedly about Sasuke's bedroom while Itachi read him a bedtime story. He was halfway finished when his golem flapped its way over to him, buzzing with static._______

Sasuke, who had been half-asleep raised his head and rubbed at his eyes. "…brother?"

"Ah, just a moment, Sasuke." Itachi pushed the covers aside and gently eased Sasuke down. "I'll be back in a moment."

He left Sasuke's room and entered his own, taking a moment to check that nothing had been hidden in it and that the area around was clear.

"Fzzzhiha Itachzzz, are you there?" the staticky voice came through the golem. "This is Bak Chan, Head of the Asian Branch."

"Yes, I am here," Itachi said, keeping his voice low. He cupped his hands around the golem to try and keep its words quiet.

"We received your report and passed it on to Central," Bak Chan explained.

Itachi nodded, though he knew whoever was speaking with the other golem couldn't see him. "What are orders from Central regarding the incident?"

"As we are unable to determined how many of the Uchiha have been turned into akuma, you are hereby ordered to…that can't be right, that's—" the communiqué dissolved into a distant argument, before resuming. Bak Chan's voice had taken a change for the sullen and reluctant, though he still finished relaying his message. "You are hereby ordered to kill all known members of the Uchiha except yourself."

Itachi closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I understand," he said.

"A boat has been dispatched. It will arrive by dawn to take you out of Japan. You are to rendezvous with the Asian Branch in order to continue carrying out your duties as an Exorcist of the Black Order."

"I understand," Itachi repeated, keeping an eye on the rest of his room.

"Fzzodspeezzzz," Bak Chan said sadly, his last words cut off as static overwhelmed the connection. Itachi's golem stretched its wings once the communication had finished and flapped a circuit about the room before settling on his shoulder.

Itachi slipped out of his room and visited the kitchen briefly before returning to Sasuke's room with two cups of tea, one drugged and one plain. Sasuke roused the moment he entered, rubbing at his eyes. "Brother?" he asked sleepily. "What about the story? I want to hear what happened to Jiraiya…"

"I'm sorry I took so long," Itachi said. "Let's have some tea first, and then I'll finish it."

Sasuke sat up more fully, nodding as he took the cup from Itachi's hands. "Okay," He dutifully drank his tea, and was yawning before he'd finished half the cup.

"Are you tired?" Itachi asked, as Sasuke curled back under the blankets. He pulled them up over his brother. "Perhaps tomorrow night…"

Sasuke nodded and yawned. "'M not…tired…" he said, eyes already closing.

Itachi waited until he was sure that Sasuke was deeply asleep before gathering up the cups, rinsing them out and putting them away to dry, hands barely shaking. After reassuring that Sasuke was hidden and safe, Itachi busied himself with utilitarian activities—a bag for himself, a bag for Sasuke, some valuables to barter and some actual currency that he knew his parents kept hidden about the house. That finished, he dressed neatly in his black Exorcist's uniform for the mission ahead. The autumn wind whipped up harder as Itachi slipped on his window, stars winking through the gaps in the barrier overhead, but his uniform was thick and well-lined and he felt nothing at all as he headed down the street to the clan headquarters.  
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Sasuke was still sleeping deeply when Itachi returned. He changed Sasuke's clothes, tucked a blanket around him against the night chill, and picked up the bags he had packed for them both before leaving the compound, Innocence still activated though his eyes were beginning to ache from the strain. Not too far from the compound, in the opposite direction of the ill-fated village where Shisui had been lost, lay another civilian town near the sea. Itachi made his way through the streets by memory, trying to recall where some acquaintances of his parents lived._______

Itachi knocked on their door a few hours past midnight, and before long the father of the family, Tekka, had emerged, blinking tiredly. "Itachi!" he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"You are leaving Japan in a few days, aren't you?" Itachi said.

"Ah—" Tekka started guiltily, then nodded. "We're just visiting my wife's family in China…"

"But you don't plan to return?" Itachi pressed.

Tekka looked even guiltier, even as he yawned. "That is to say…my wife's family would prefer for her to leave, and I haven't much prospects here—though your family has been very kind to me—but…"

Satisfied, Itachi thrust Sasuke's sleeping body towards him. "I apologize for the imposition, but it's not safe here for him any longer," he said. Tekka tried to refuse Sasuke, but Itachi pressed him into Tekka's arms until Tekka reluctantly accepted him. Itachi could just see his brother's sleeping face peering out of a gap in the blankets as Tekka settled his grip around him. He set down Sasuke's bag. "In one of the pockets you will find a large amount of yen, and some small valuables suitable for barter. Please use the money to care for him and to help pay his passage out with you and your family."

"Itachi…" Tekka said uncertainly. "What do you mean? What am I supposed to tell Sasuke? Where are you go—"

"Please," Itachi repeated, bowing deeply, "take care of my brother."

Tekka fell silent. Then he bowed back, as much as he was able, and said, "It's the least I can do, after all your family has done for us."

Itachi felt a sharp pang at the words, but he nodded. "Thank you," he said, and before the man could ask anything further, he turned to leave, hearing the door slide softly shut behind him.

He stayed hidden for a few hours before his golem came to life on his shoulder, directing him to where the Black Order's ship was hidden. He climbed aboard, and nodded at the men who had come to fetch him.

"Exorcist," the ship's captain said as the ship set off, bowing deeply. "We are honored to have you aboard."

"Thank you," Itachi said politely, the appropriate response for his status and station, before vanishing under deck to close his eyes against the memory of the night.


End file.
